She caught up with Stephen and Luke grabbed my hand. “You just need to focus on being like you used to be. You know— normal,” he said.
Lila sent me a pleading glance. I sank in the seat next to Luke and let him put his arm around me. All of us prayed for normal. But so far, normal only meant more misery.
IN THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES OF the movie we met a teenager who graduated from high school and joined the Marines. Ten minutes in, we watched him graduate from boot camp. Twenty minutes into the movie, I dry heaved.
Nausea swelled my throat, my tongue felt ten sizes too big and I couldn’t breathe. No matter how much air I tried to suck in, none of it went into my lungs. I sprang from my seat and tripped down the dark stairs of the theater to the sounds of men screaming in agony to God and their mothers.
I raced for the women’s bathroom, busted past the door and clung to the cold sink. The mirror revealed a nightmare. Red curls clung to the sweat on my forehead. My entire body shook like an earthquake.
The image of the man’s friend stepping on an IED flashed in my mind. The bile inched up my throat. Oh, God—Aires. Was that what happened to him? Did he scream in agony? Did he know he was dying? The face of the blood-drenched actor merged with Aires’ face. My body wrenched forward, my stomach cramped and I coughed with the dry heave.
He was dead and he’d died in misery, terrified.
A stall door opened. A little old lady stared at me with pitying old eyes. “Boy troubles?”
I snatched a paper towel to wipe my eyes and hide my face. Gasping for air, I reminded myself that I’d come here to be normal, not a spectacle. “Yes.”
The old lady smiled at me in the mirror while washing her hands. “A pretty girl like you will find someone new quickly. By the way, I love your gloves. It’s not very often that you see a young person wearing them.” She left.
My cell phone vibrated in my back pocket. Luke texted me: Whr r u?
In the girl’s bathroom losing my mind. There was no way I could go back: 2 violent 4 me. shpg. Meet u aftr movie.
I waited a few seconds and my phone vibrated again: cool cu then.
Eight-thirty. I had two and a half hours to blow until the end of the movie. Seemed to be a recurring theme in my life.
The food court sat right next to the movie theater. I needed something to drink. But like an idiot, I’d brought no money, not even my purse. Luke insisted that I leave it at home. Blah, blah, blah … our first night to the movies together … blah, blah, blah … he would pay for everything … blah, blah, blah … he took me to see the worst movie ever …
The employees of the food court were cleaning and preparing to close. But some places stayed open to feed the night owls. I headed to one, the burger joint that had stools next to the counter.
I sat on a stool and watched some tall guy flip burgers. Lila would so love that cute butt. “Excuse me?”
The cook turned and I slid off my seat. “Noah?”
He flashed his wicked grin. “‘Sup, Echo. Miss me?”
I sat again. “No.” Kind of.
Noah scooped the burgers off the grill, placed them on some buns and called out a number. A lady came and carried the burgers away. He sauntered to the counter. “What can I do for you?”
The red bandana he wore held back the hair that typically covered his eyes. I loved his eyes. Chocolate-brown, full of mischief and a spark ready to light the world on fire. “Can I have a glass of water, please?” And please let it be free.
“Is that it?”
My stomach growled, loud enough for Noah to hear. “Yep, that’s it.”
He fixed me a glass and handed it to me. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like a burger? A nice thick burger on a toasted bun with salty fries on the side?”
I sucked on my straw, gulping the ice water down. Funny, water didn’t give me that warm, fuzzy, full feeling like a burger and fries would. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“Suit yourself. You see that nice-looking piece of meat right there?” He motioned to the patty frying. The aroma made my mouth water. “That’s mine. When it’s done, my shift for the day is over.”
He returned to the grill and lifted the fabulous patty onto a toasted bun, topping it with various vegetables. He then tossed an ample amount of French fries on the plate. “Hey, Frank. I’m outta here.”
Somebody called from the back, “Thanks, Noah.”
Noah slid his bandana and apron off and threw them into a container. He left his plate next to me on the counter, made himself a Coke and then walked around to take the seat beside me. “Shouldn’t you be on a date with your ape boyfriend?”
He bit into his burger. I watched every delicious movement. “I was. I mean, I am. Luke’s still in the movie theater. But he’s not my boyfriend. Not now. He was—a long time ago, but he’s not now. We’re just, you know, dating. Or something.” Right? And why was I rambling?
Noah chewed his food while he narrowed his eyes. “If you’re on a date, why aren’t you in there with him?”
I stared down at the fries. They looked so golden and crispy.
“Do you have any money?” he asked.
“What?”
He rubbed his fingers together. “Dinero? Cash? Do you have any on you?”
Unsure where this was headed, I shook my head. He reached over the counter and grabbed a knife. He cut the burger in half and slid the plate between us. “Here. Don’t bogart the fries.”
“Are you serious?”
Noah took another bite of his half. “Yeah. Don’t want my tutor to starve to death.”
I smacked my lips like a cartoon character and bit into the succulent burger. When the juicy meat touched my tongue, I closed my eyes and moaned.
“I thought girls only looked like that when they orgasmed.”
The burger caught in my throat and I choked. Noah stifled a laugh while sliding my water toward me. If only drinking it would erase the annoying blush on my cheeks.
“I think I missed your answer to my previous question. If you’re on a date, why are you out here sharing dinner with me while Luke’s in there fondling himself?”
I cleared my throat. “Do you always have to be so crude?”
“No. I’ll rein it in if you answer the question.”
“We were running late and I didn’t know what movie he’d chosen until it started. Enemies at War is a little too violent for me.” I stirred my water with my straw, focusing on sounding nonchalant while the images of war tortured my mind.
Noah balled up his napkin in his hand, his playful demeanor gone. “So why isn’t he out here with you?”
Good question. “I told him to stay and watch the movie. He’s been looking forward to it.”
“You deserve better.” He pushed the plate in front of me, his part of the hamburger gone, but all the fries still on the plate.
Like a guy who would share his dinner with me and give me all the fries? A guy who broke rules so I could listen to my father talk to my therapist? A guy who gave me his jacket when I was cold? A guy who set me on fire with a simple touch? But Noah couldn’t possibly want a girl like me.
I finished my hamburger and pushed the plate back to him. “Thanks. I guess I should let you go home.”
“What are you going to do?”
A few teenagers gathered around a table in the middle of the empty food court. A janitor set up a sign indicating a wet floor. A homeless guy clutched his shopping cart and stared at me and Noah from across the room. Oh, I don’t know. Wander around by myself, probably end up dead, stuffed in the bottom of that guy’s shopping cart. “Maybe head to the arcade and hope someone left some quarters on the table so I can play pool.”
Noah raised an eyebrow. “You play pool?”
“Aires taught me.” The sound of Aires’ laughter as we played replaced the screaming in my head.
Noah hopped off the stool and enveloped my hand in his. The gesture took me by surprise and caused my heart to stutter. He pulled me off the seat. “Come on, let’s go see if Aires taught you pool like he did math.”
We walked toward the arcade and Noah shifted his hand to allow his fingers to rest beside mine. My heart galloped like a horse. This was Noah Hutchins. The Noah Hutchins that refused steady relationships or even dating. The Noah Hutchins that only wanted one-night stands. A stoner. My opposite. And right now, everything I wanted.
NOAH
Echo withdrew into her hair the moment she entwined her fingers with mine. I hadn’t touched weed in over a week yet somehow I floated above the ground, my blood ran warm in my veins and I felt high—no, not high … invincible.
“Can I ask you a question? I won’t mean to offend you by it,” I said.
Her hand went limp, but I clung to it, not allowing her escape. “I guess.”
“Is there a meaning behind your name?”
We reached the arcade. A few middle-schoolers hovered around a game with a mock machine gun. The sound of bullets flying amid screams blared from the game. A college student flipped through a comic book behind the glass counter full of cheap prizes from ski ball tickets. I squeezed Echo’s hand tighter and led her past the game to the empty pool tables in the back.
Reluctantly, I let go of her hand and pushed a couple dollars into the coin machine.
“My mom was obsessed with Greek myths. I’m named after the mountain nymph, Echo.”
Aires’ name suddenly made sense, too. I plunked two quarters into the table and the balls rumbled out of the slot. Echo immediately tossed them onto the table. “Eight or nine ball?”
“Eight.” Nine was more complicated. I already planned on playing at sixty percent capacity, hoping she’d have a good time. “What’s the myth?”
She set the balls into the rack and flipped the triangle away. “There are several, actually. You break.”
I’d met several girls like her; terrified to break because they couldn’t hit more than a few balls off the group. Better she break and get one in than nothing at all. “Ladies first.” I couldn’t wait for this game to be over so I could teach her how to break properly. Images of her body pressed against mine, bending over the table, caused my jeans to get tighter.
“Your funeral,” she sang and my lips turned up at her flash of confidence. Echo twirled her pool cue like a warrior going into battle, never once taking her eyes off the cue ball. She leaned over the table. I focused on her tight ass. My siren ate me alive with every movement. As she took aim, she no longer resembled the fragile girl at school, but a sniper.
The quick and thunderous cracking of balls caught me off guard. The balls fell into the pockets in such rapid succession, I lost count. Echo rounded the table, once again twirling the cue, studying the remaining balls like a four-star general would a map.
Damn—the girl knew how to play.
“Stripes,” she called. Echo bent over the table to make her second shot. Her beautiful breasts were right there for me to see, but I wanted to do more than observe, I wanted to …
“You should put your tongue back in your mouth. You’ll get all cotton-mouthed if it dries out.” She sank two stripes with one shot.